One Week
by Antigone2
Summary: Just a little transition between the R arcs. Begins right after the final battle with Ail&An, ends with Chibi-Usa falling from the sky. :  Focusing on how Usagi and Mamoru's relationship begins, because those two are the cuteness.
1. Sunday

**One Week**

Just a little transition between the R arcs. Focusing on how Usagi and Mamoru's relationship begins, because they are the cuteness.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>

**Sunday**

It started with dawn.

Six people (and two cats) stood on the rooftop of a half-demolished building on the outskirts of Juuban. Rather than silent reverence or shock over the events that had taken place over the past few hours, the air was light with shrieks, giggles and shouts.

The senshi were operating on pure adrenaline, having spent all night facing off with Ail, An and the Makaiju. They felt refreshed, having emerged from battle with both sides victorious - a rare and treasured occurrence.

Besides which, they were delightedly torturing their leader and princess, who stood in unusual embarrassed silence next to a slightly overwhemled looking young man.

"I'm going to get a cool boyfriend, too!" "Yeah, one like Mamoru-san!" More giggles.

"Are they seriously standing there talking about _boys_?" a white cat leaned over, to ask a black one who stood next to him beside the girls.

"Yes," she answered, sighing. "Yes, they are."

They shook their heads.

Sailor Moon glanced at the rising sun with muted panic. She had been out all night. What would her mother say? Her head was starting to feel fuzzy.

"Are you okay?" Mamoru asked her, when she started to wilt beside him. She looked up at him in confusion.

"Mamoru-san?" And then she passed out.

The girls were on her in seconds, Sailor Mercury taking her vitals and announcing she was fine - just exhausted.

"Probably because she used the ginzuishou during the Moon Princess Halation, to purify the Makaiju," Sailor Mercury said.

_Because the ginzuishou drains the princess's own energy_, Mamoru thought. He remembered that, but not from last year - this knowledge was older. It was still so confusing.

His worry must have shown on his face because Sailor Venus sent him a sympathetic smile. "She'll be just fine. Could you look away for a moment?"

He complied and saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. When he turned back, Sailor Moon was gone and Tsukino Usagi was in her place. "It'll be easier on her not to have to maintain the transformation right now," Sailor Mercury explained.

Usagi opened her eyes and murmured, "Mama's gonna kill me-"

"Relax, your mom thinks you are at Rei's," Sailor Venus pushed blonde bangs back from Usagi's face tenderly.

She shot everyone a grin, "You don't superhero for years without learning a trick or two. The thirty seconds it takes to make a quick phone call on the way to battle could keep a girl from being grounded and fighting the next time. Well worth it."

It was at that moment that the building upon which they were standing began to shimmer and blink.

"The false dimension is collapsing in on itself," Sailor Mercury assessed quickly, her blue visor down over her eyes, "Now that Ail and An are gone, this building they created will disappear."

"Jeeze, what else could go wrong?" Sailor Jupiter cried, peering over the side of the roof, to the ground so far below. She knew the senshi could jump no problem, with the cats, too. But what about Mamoru, and now Usagi?

Just then, they all heard the sound of sirens, heralding the arrival of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police force - impeccable timing as always.

"You just _had_ to ask what else could go wrong?" Sailor Mars demanded. Usagi sat up, putting a hand to her head.

Mamoru felt a little like he was in a movie. He had two lifetimes worth of memories to sort through, had just reconnected with Usagi and now they'd have to run from the police. Through a collapsing inter-dimensional building. After being nearly beaten to death by a sentient tree. Hell of a first day back.

"We'll have to go down what's left of the stairs," Luna said, "Let's go. Usagi-chan, can you walk?"

"She has trouble with walking on a_ good_ day, Luna," Sailor Mars smirked.

Jumping in before Usagi could waste precious energy on a scream-fit with Mars, Mamoru offered her his hand, and she accepted with a deep red stain to her face. Then they all started down what was left of the stairs after the tree's giant roots had receded.

The building seemed to shimmer away floor by floor, which actually made running down the stairs less dangerous than it seemed at the time. Mamoru was reminded of the virtual reality theater - something about the walls flickering made everything seem surreal. That, and Usagi's hand in his. All of it was some sort of shade of completely unreal.

The police arrived to nothing but an empty lot. The building was gone, the senshi were gone. They were left scratching their heads and wondering about the calls they had received. Oh, well. That was life in Tokyo.

* * *

><p>Usagi was leaning heavily on Makoto, her eyes closing. Minako stood, leaning against a lamppost on the street outside the park. Rei and Ami held Luna and Artemis respectively. Mamoru looked at them all.<p>

"Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Mercury," he said, looking at them each in turn. He had never officially been informed of their alter-egos, but it was obvious now. They smiled in return. He looked at Minako.

"Sailor Venus," Mamoru said. He didn't know her as well as the others.

"Previously known as Sailor V," Minako struck a pose, flashing the victory-sign with her right hand. Usagi gave a weak cheer for her favorite heroine.

"We should all get home," Ami said after a moment. "We need to get rest today and tonight so we are all ready to do our very best in school tomorrow."

"There is something wrong with you, seriously," Rei said.

"I'll take Usagi home," Makoto volunteered. Suddenly six pairs of eyes (two feline) were back on Mamoru and Usagi. Mamoru realized they were waiting to see how they'd say good-bye to each other.

What did they want with everyone staring at them?

"Bye everyone!" Usagi said, sleepily but with a smile, "I'll see you tomorrow after school, at the arcade!"

"I'll be there, too," Mamoru told her. "See you later, Odango atama." He smiled at her.

"It's U-sa-gi," she dazedly reminded him, as Makoto walked away with her. Luna padded along behind them.

The other girls dispersed as well. Ami wanted to stay and take Mamoru's vitals but he insisted he was fine. He promised if he felt strange at all, he'd go to the doctor's.

He was starting toward home when he noticed Minako and Artemis walking along side him.

"We're heading the same direction for a few blocks," she said.

There were only a few moments of silence, since Minako liked to talk.

"I figure you have a lot of stuff to sort out, so if you have any questions, you can ask me."

"Well, I take it we won against the Dark Kingdom," Mamoru said with a small smile.

"Oh yes," Minako waved her hands in a little cheer, "go good guys! We won."

Mamoru paused. Some memories were dark, blurry and difficult to decipher- he knew he was captured by the Dark Kingdom. And he knew for a while he worked with them - against the senshi-

"Stop." Her voice was sharp. She must have read the look on his face.

"Word of advice, don't touch on _those_ memories. If we ever need them, I'm sure Rei or someone can try to access them for you but all you need to know is - we won. _She_ won. And in the end - you saved her life so she could go on to defeat Beryl and save the world. And we all came back to live another day." Minako's gaze was clear.

"Oh, also - Princess Serenity made one last wish before the crystal killed her. She wished to come back and be a normal girl. So, we all came back with no memories of that past year. So if she ever tries to make you feel guilty about forgetting her - don't. In the end, it's _her_ fault after all." Here Minako winked and waved. "Well, this is where I catch my bus. Later, Mamoru-san!"

And she left him to the strange quiet of the early morning. Mamoru went home and spent most of the day and night trying - and failing - to sleep.

* * *

><p>To be continued in chapter 2: <strong>Monday<strong>


	2. Monday

**Monday**

* * *

><p>Mamoru was talking to Motoki in the arcade that afternoon, when Makoto came up and perched herself on a barstool and greeted them both with: "She got detention."<p>

Motoki blinked. "Who?"

"Usagi-chan," Makoto then went on to order a chocolate milkshake. To go.

"That's too bad," Motoki said. "What happened?"

"Didn't do any of her homework," Makoto said, "according to Ami. She's stuck there until she finishes it, or it's five pm. Whichever comes first."

"Five pm," Motoki said, "will come first."

"Right?" Makoto giggled and started a conversation with Motoki as he blended her milkshake. She pulled a straw from the paper and flirtatiously put it in her mouth.

"I'm surprised that brown-haired girl isn't here hanging all over you, Mamoru," Motoki said, addressing his friend again after a few minutes. "What's her name? Natsumi? Did she get detention, too?"

Makoto rolled her eyes. She never liked Natsumi/An. Redemption or not, that girl had been damn annoying. "She and her brother had to return to their country."

"Oh!" Motoki said, "that seems sudden. Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Makoto said, "it was a family thing. But I think everything will be fine." She and Mamoru shared a cryptic look.

"To be honest, I'll miss Seijuurou a little," Makoto sighed. She couldn't help but remember how sweet and curious he was when she made him that bento box. She smiled fondly at the memory of that one day they bonded a little.

"Eh, I never liked Seijuurou," Mamoru said.

Makoto smirked. "Shocker, that." She grabbed the shake and got ready to leave.

"Hey, Makoto, before you go?" Motoki asked, "Why'd you come in and announce about Usagi's detention out of the blue, anyway?"

She just grinned. "No reason."

* * *

><p>That evening, Mamoru was attempting to work ahead on some physics problems, but couldn't really focus.<p>

He kept rerunning that lost year in his head, the dreams and the battles and the uncertainty. The wounds and the sacrifices and the final, ultimate gain - and loss - all within an hour in the Starlight Tower. Then, the few moments of clarity weeks later - right before he died. That all _happened._ And it happened with her. Sailor Moon. Serenity. She was there at every battle, she brought him back from the brink, saved him from darkness, from himself, and ultimately from death itself.

Pretty intense.

And then there was this little slip of a girl, who threw test papers and shoes and nikumon at his head. Who balked at being called odango atama and helped him babysit a seven month old and played a wicked queen in Snow White and failed horribly at laser tag. Usagi.

Who couldn't meet him today because she didn't do her homework, even though she had all Sunday to finish it. He had to admit that was irritating.

They hadn't even had a chance to talk to each other yet. It had only been a day but he actually missed her. It was unsettling, to say the least.

She said she loved him. But they'd never even gone on a date. He died for her. But he'd never even kissed her (that he remembered clearly, anyway. He was halfway sure they maybe kissed once at a consulate party but that memory was really foggy. Mamoru really hoped she never asked him about it.)

He felt like they were doing things all backwards and mixed up.

Suddenly he wished he had a photo of her, something to just look at - to anchor his memories and feelings onto something solid. Right now it seemed like she was so many different people at once in his mind.

He got up and poured himself a glass of cola, and pulled out a white envelope from under a pile of papers on his desk. Minako had given it to him a few weeks ago- a group photograph she had taken of the cast of the Snow White play from a few weeks ago. He hadn't even opened it.

She'd had given one to everyone in the cast - even Natsumi - he wondered if she still had it somewhere in some subspace pocket, or if it was destroyed with the rest of the building. He wondered if Usagi had hers'.

The camera had been set up on a tripod and on a self-timer, so everyone could be in it. The other girls, plus Naru and Umino, were all standing in their ridiculous animal costumes, without the heads so you could see their faces. They were smiling, if sweaty. Natsumi and Mamoru were off to one side, in costume. She was smugly smiling at the camera. Mamoru noticed he wasn't smiling. He remembered being annoyed at the idea of the photo - he did not want this recorded for posterity.

Usagi was standing off on the other side of the group, in her wicked queen outfit, before she had to wear the hag make-up. It was a very un-Usagi-like get-up anyway. Bright red lipstick, garish ballgown, big, heavy gold crown. She wasn't smiling, either. Her face was tiny in the group shot, and slightly blurry. It wasn't a good photo.

He just shook his head and went to put it back in the envelope when another two sheets fell out. To his surprise, he turned them over. There were two more photos Minako had slipped in.

One was of him, talking to Umino and Makoto about something, it was a decent shot of them. He guessed she included it because he was in it.

The other shot was of Naru and Usagi, laughing about something happening off camera. Naru had her hand covering her mouth, and Usagi was just starting to smile, her eyes alight with amusement. It was a decent shot of Naru and really good shot of Usagi - she looked beautiful. He figured Minako included it for that reason- maybe hoping to get Mamoru to notice Usagi.

All their motives were so obvious, in hindsight. He shook his head. It wasn't as if he hadn't _noticed_ her these past two months. She was pretty hard not to notice, after all.

Determinedly, she had placed herself in his life with all the subtly and grace of a landmine - often butting heads loudly and openly with Natsumi in public places - much to his chagrin.

And, then, eventually Usagi was just _there_, in the peripherals of his daily routine - at the arcade, waving from across the street, stopping by to help when he was babysitting, acting in his drama project play, partnering with him at the VR theater.

It had become harder and harder to write her off as just some silly girl with a crush. She was just so _genuine_ about everything. And always flanked by such a loyal and tight-knit group of friends, proving others appreciated her presence as well.

Sometimes he found himself dropping his guard and actually enjoying her company. But, he had spent thirteen years building walls, and it would take more than a few weeks for anyone to crack them. No matter how likeable, or how pretty.

Until everything came back to him, and he realized that same girl had already began tearing down those walls a year ago. Not only that, but she already resided _within_ them, owning a place in his heart and soul since as long as he could remember.

It was a very vulnerable feeling.

The girl in the photo continued to smile, beneath his fingertips.

Conveniently, he already had her phone number. She gave it to him when they were babysitting Manami_, _"just in case."

And he hung on to it, even after Manami went back to his mother.

_Just in case._

* * *

><p>"Tsukinos," a kid answered the phone dismissively. Mamoru figured it was Usagi's little brother, whom he met briefly at the virtual reality theater a while back. He felt lucky that when he asked for Usagi, there was no questioning, no polite conversation to slog through, just a voice yelling: "OI! Baka-Usagi! Don't hog the phone!"<p>

And then, "Hello?"

"So, detention, huh?" he couldn't keep the smile out of his voice.

"Oh! Mamoru-san! I'm sorry I couldn't meet you like I said."

"Well, try to do your homework and get to school on time tomorrow. I'll buy you a ice cream at Crown afterwards."

"Really? I'd love that!" She squealed. Usagi blushed on her end of the line, grinning stupidly. She was so sure he'd be angry at her.

"It's the least I could do for you saving my life. More than once."

"I'll meet you there at 3:30! I promise, no detention."

"Okay, well-"

"Wait! Mamoru-san-"

"Yes?"

"Um, never mind." She giggled a little and sweetly wished him good-night and hung up abruptly, before he could respond in kind.

Mamoru sighed and attempted to get back to physics. It was certainly less confusing.


	3. Tuesday

**Tuesday**

If Ami and Makoto were surprised to see Usagi arrive to school on-time, with her homework completed (not correctly of course, hell hadn't entirely frozen over) and toe the line entirely through the morning period, they were nice enough not to say anything untoward about it. At least until lunchtime.

"Someone just wants to make sure she doesn't get a detention today," Makoto said. "That's it, isn't it?"

Usagi nodded. "Yesterday was so unfair!" she wailed, "Like I had time to do homework, hello, I was only saving the entire city from destruction."

Makoto and Ami, wisely, chose not to say that they, also, were saving the city and they had found time to finish their schoolwork. Instead, Ami just patted Usagi's shoulder comfortingly.

"Anyway, Mamoru-san's going to buy me ice cream today!" the blonde said, happily.

"You can probably drop the honorific, now that you two are dating," Makoto pointed out. "And also, does _he_ know he's buying you ice cream, or did you just decide?"

Usagi made a face. "He offered, last night."

"Whoo! You saw him last night?" Makoto was all about details.

"_No_, he called me," Usagi said, "and he said he was going to buy me ice cream at Crown to thank me for saving his life."

"Is he your boyfriend now?" Ami asked. Makoto looked at her. "What? I'm not allowed to be curious?" Ami asked. "Honestly, I'm just worried about Usagi's grades."

"Sure, Ami-chan, sure."

"Um," Usagi paused, "I think so, but we didn't really talk about it yet."

"You should probably talk to him about it," Ami said, sensibly.

Usagi suddenly looked worried, like a thought had just occurred to her. "Why do you say that? Do you think he's going to decide he doesn't want to be with me?"

The girls rushed to placate her before she made a scene, hurriedly assuring her they meant nothing of the sort, while sweatdropping profusely at her antics. Usagi calmed down, but still eyed them doubtfully.

Ami put her hand on Usagi's slim shoulder. "Mamoru's feelings for you were so strong that his consciousness defied the power of the ginzuishou and actually bifurcated into an entirely separate physical entity just to protect you. You honestly think after all that he doesn't want to be with you?"

Usagi squinted at her blue-haired friend. "Ami-chan, I understood, like, less than half of those words you just said?" She smiled suddenly, "But yeah, you're right. I'm being silly! If you love someone, you want to be with them and we love each other. There is no way this won't work out!"

And she started to attack her lunch before the bell rang for afternoon classes.

* * *

><p>In hindsight, meeting at the Crown was a really stupid idea.<p>

Firstly, there was the peanut gallery. All of Usagi's girlfriends were there, pretending to be playing games on the arcade side of the building (or in Ami's case, reading a workbook - and probably not pretending) but really glancing at them every few seconds and giggling. And Motoki, of course, who practically lived at the family business, kept giving them all curious looks.

Secondly, by virtue of the set-up of the cafe, they were separated by a table length and seated at opposite sides of the booth, facing each other. Mamoru felt for a surreal split-second like he was at a show-down, or interrogation. He arrived first, so Usagi joined him at the table with a smile and a wave. She was disappointed she couldn't hug him hello without being awkward about it, or join him on his side of the booth without being obvious. But she tried not to let it show.

Mamoru was just grateful their server was not Motoki or his sister, but an unfamiliar brunette who was polite but distant when they put in their orders.

"This is weird, right?" Usagi nodded, agreeing with herself, "This is weird." But she was smiling.

He agreed. "I feel like you should be throwing things at my head and I should be calling you odango atama."

"Is my hair really that strange?" frowning, she reached up and patted one of the twists on the top of her head. She ran her hand through a ponytail thoughtfully, twisting some strands through her fingers. Mamoru's mouth went dry.

"I thought about changing it once, when I was really sad." A far-away look came into her blue eyes, "Minako and I even went to a salon. But at the last minute I changed my - well," she laughed a little, "at the last minute a youma attacked. So that was that." Usagi looked at him as if she expected some sort of response.

"It's your hair, so of course you can do what you want but," he shrugged, feeling suddenly like a kid who just now discovered girls maybe didn't have cooties after all. "I like it."

Usagi looked like she was trying very hard not to look ridiculously pleased. Mamoru was having a lot of trouble keeping his eyes off of her. He was grateful when their order arrived.

For a long time Usagi was preoccupied with her sundae, and all he had to do was sip his coffee and watch her. It was nice.

"We should go on a date," she said, finally, in between mouthfuls of ice-cream and chocolate syrup.

"This isn't a date?"

"_No,_ this is you buying me ice cream after school!" she countered. "I'm wearing my uniform for god's sake." She rolled her eyes. "Honestly."

"Okay, so when? and what do you want to do?"

Another exasperated look came into her eyes. "I don't know! You pick! You're the guy!"

"A movie?"

"No. Two hours and we don't even get to talk."

"Um, dinner?"

She shrugged and made a face, "I don't know... not for our first date."

Mamoru could feel himself getting annoyed now. "Usagi-"

"You called me Usagi!" she dropped her spoon into the bowl, sundae forgotten. She stared at him open-mouthed.

"As you always insist on telling me, that's your name," he muttered.

She smiled and flipped a one of her pigtails back behind her shoulder. "Glad it finally sunk in."

And she was back to her sundae.

By the end of the not-date, it was decided on Saturday he'd take her out for lunch and then for a boat ride on the lake in the park. In the end, it was her idea and he had to grudgingly force it out of her as she scraped the last of the ice-cream from the bowl with her spoon.

"So, I'll see you Saturday I guess?" Mamoru knew most - if not all - of their awkwardness was coming from his end. He felt the eyes of her friends on him, and felt the unspoken words between him and Usagi like a chasm. _I do want to be with you_, he thought at her, pleadingly, _I do want to make you happy. Please understand I can't just switch this on like a light._

"Oh, hopefully before then!" Usagi said, "I mean, that's _days_ from now_._" She looked distressed. "Are you busy tomorrow? The girls are having a meeting at Rei's after school but maybe afterwards we can take a walk or something? At, like, five?"

He had a study meeting at 4:30 that ran until seven every Wednesday night. He opened his mouth to tell her that, but he knew already he was going to blow it off. Just this once. Just for this week. Somehow, being with her seemed more important. Or at least more fun.

"Sure. I'll meet you at the east entrance to the park. But get home in time to do your homework, okay?"

"Okay, _Ami-chan_," she teased, lightly. He just shook his head at her.

They both stood, Mamoru picking up the bill to take up to the cashier before leaving.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Mamoru," Usagi said. She picked up her school bag in one hand, rested the other one on his arm, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek quickly. It was all she could get away with in such a public setting, anyway, just the barest brush of her lips against his skin.

Then she smiled, waved and gave herself a running start in order to push her way through the gaggle of waiting girls with nary a glance in their direction despite their pleas for her attention and calls of her name. Her face had been bright red.

Mamoru stood there frozen until the waitress caught his attention. "Sir? You can pay for that up at the cash." She pointed to the bill, which Mamoru still clutched in his hand.

He pulled out his wallet and walked to the front of the cafe. Thankfully, Motoki wasn't there and the girls had all gone chasing after Usagi.

He was left all alone. At least, until Wednesday.


	4. Wednesday

**Wednesday**

"You're early," Rei commented, without looking up from her manga. The shrine was deserted except for her, and now Usagi, who looked at the clock on the wall in confusion.

"It's three-fifteen."

"Yeah."

Usagi knitted her brows in confusion. "You guys said to meet at three-fifteen!"

"Yeah, we tell _you_ three-fifteen. That way you show up at three-thirty. Or sometimes, three-forty-five." Rei turned the page without looking up at her friend.

"Yo-you- what? What's the _real_ meeting time?"

"Three-thirty." Rei still didn't look up from the manga she was reading. "Close your mouth, you're attracting flies."

Usagi closed her mouth, keeping the offended expression in her eyes.

"Well, what do you wanna do for fifteen minutes?" She settled down, next to her dark-haired friend.

Wordlessly, Rei handed her the newest issue of the weekly manga magazine she knew Usagi was dying to read.

With a delighted squeal, the blonde took it and opened it eagerly. After a few minutes, Usagi sensed Rei's gaze and looked up.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Usagi asked. "All smug."

"No reason." Rei was smiling as she returned to her manga. "I'm just happy for you."

"Aww, Rei!" With shining eyes, Usagi reached over but was stopped by one look from the raven-haired miko.

"One more word, and I swear to the gods I will strangle you with your own pigtails."

"Right," Usagi nodded. She returned to reading the manga, but every so often she snuck side-eye looks at Rei, a mushy smile on her face.

Rei glanced longingly at the clock on the wall. Oh, god, how much longer until someone - _anyone_ - else showed up?

* * *

><p>Usagi was convinced she was surrounded by sadists.<p>

The meeting was seriously a downer thanks to Luna and Artemis. "Don't rest on your laurels, everyone!" "You never know when a new enemy might appear!" "Don't let your guard down just because we won the last two battles!"

And then the conversation kept turning toward gossip about how things were "progressing" between her and Mamoru. Usagi didn't know how many times she would repeat the phrase "it's been, like, four days" before it began to lose all meaning.

And Minako was all, "Well, Usagi-chan, you know, Rome was built in four days!" Which wasn't even right, according to Ami. And what did Rome have to do with anything, anyway? Usagi didn't even really like Italian food that much.

"Why are you in street clothes, Usagi-chan?" Minako asked, interrupting Artemis, who shot her a glare. "No one was listening anyway," Minako told him, making him glare harder.

"I was listening," Ami whispered to him, kindly.

Usagi shrugged. "No reason, just felt like changing out of my uniform today."

"Uh-huh. Have plans after this, by chance?"

"I might go for a walk in the park on my way home," Usagi examined a fingernail, willing herself not to blush.

"By yourself?" Makoto asked, tilting her head to the side.

"There are, like, a billion people who live in this city so I probably won't be completely by myself, no." Usagi was ridiculously proud of her comeback.

"The population of the general Tokyo metropolitan area is actually about 10 million people," Ami chimed in. "Not a billion."

"Thanks for the geography lesson," Minako said.

"That's not _geography_, that's _demography_," Ami sounded a little exasperated.

"Tomato, Po-tay-to!" Minako said breezily.

"That's not even the right saying!" Ami's sweet voice was just barely starting to crack.

The other girls were watching with undisguised amusement.

"Let's leave Ami alone for now," Rei said, earning herself a grateful look from her genius friend. "And get back to torturing Usagi." The other girls glanced at Rei, and at her approving wink, they knew it was okay to continue.

"So are you going to meet your boyfriend later or what?" Makoto saddled up to her friend, and Minako pressed her shoulder against Usagi's other side, effectively trapping her.

"We saw you kiss him at the cafe," Makoto added.

"Not that that even counts as a kiss," Minako added, dismissively, "I kiss my grandmother like that."

"Yeah, but I doubt your grandmother stands there like an idiot for ten minutes afterwards," Rei spoke up.

This time no amount of willing could keep the blush from Usagi's face. "What?"

"I've never seen Mamoru-san blush before," Makoto said, thoughtfully. "And I once almost strangled him. By accident!" She added when she saw the looks everyone was giving her.

Usagi was still staring straight ahead, a strange, unsure look in her blue eyes. "He was really blushing?"

"He's got it bad," Minako said, tossing blonde hair over one shoulder. She began rummaging in her purse for a bottle of pink nail polish she knew was buried in there somewhere. "The way he was looking at you yesterday made _me_ want to take a cold shower. A-ha! Found it!"

She held the bottle up triumphantly. "Wanna try it? It's totally your color." She held it against Makoto's skin.

"Ah, I don't know, I don't usually wear nail polish..."

"But this is so subtle!"

"This meeting is over, isn't it?" Artemis asked.

"What was your first clue?" Luna said, rolling her eyes.

Usagi watched the two girls discuss the polish without really seeing them. She looked vaguely as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Usagi, are you okay?" Ami asked.

"Um, I guess?" She was playing with her hands and the ends of the pigtails in what Rei recognized as a very nervous gesture.

"How could what Minako said possibly make you feel _less_ confident?" Rei demanded. Everyone looked up curiously.

All Usagi could do was shrug. "I guess because it's so different... now. Between us. Now that he remembers everything."

"He sometimes looked at you that way before, too," Minako said, dragging a the polish brush over one of her nails and then blowing on it delicately. "If that makes you feel any better."

Strangely, it didn't.

"Maybe I will try some of that nail polish," Makoto said.

"Oh, did you see that Namiko Inoue was wearing a color like this in the last episode of November Rain?"

And the conversation turned toward dramas, actresses, actors and make-up, Usagi sighed and shut her eyes. She opened them in surprise when she felt Rei's arm around her shoulder.

"Cheer up, Usagi. As usual, you are making a big deal out of nothing."

"What if it gets screwed up? What if I lose him again?"

"It won't. You won't."

"But-"

"Hey, Usagi, what time were you supposed to meet him? Because it's five o'clock now."

* * *

><p>This time she greeted Mamoru with a hug, dropping her bag and throwing her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. For just a moment, she felt his heart beat a fierce rhythm against her cheek. Then she jumped back, linking her hands behind her back, and smiling apologetically.<p>

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I lost track of time, talking with the girls." Usagi sheepishly put her arm behind her head. "They really go on and on."

"It's okay," he said. His eyes were kind as he looked at her, it made her flustered. She retrieved her school bag and linked her arm through his and they walked along the path.

"So, how was school today?"

"Normal. Boring. Whatever, it was school."

"How was the meeting with the girls?"

"Good. Luna and Artemis were going on about how a new enemy could appear _any second_, so be sure to sleep with one eye open, Mamoru."

He chuckled.

"And they all wanted to know what was going on with you and me, of course." She stared straight ahead at the path ahead of them, the shadows thrown by the sun hanging low in the sky. Without realizing it, she had loosened her grip on his arm, so he let it fall from her hand. Already he missed the contact with her, it felt a few degrees colder as she pulled away, a few steps ahead of him.

"Why?" he said, easily.

"'Cause they are _nosy_," she emphasized. Then sighed, and brushed a wayward strand of hair back behind her ear. "Because they care about me." She caught his eye and grinned. "Mostly the nosy thing, though."

"What do you tell them?" His eyes were still regarding her so affectionately. It was disconcerting.

She perched on a bench underneath the wide, sheltering branches of a tree, dropping her bag on the ground again. She curled her fingers beneath the bench and linked her legs at the ankle.

"That ... I don't know." She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully. "I'm not entirely sure how to act around you when you are being so... _nice_."

Ouch. "I can be nice!" he protested.

"Oh, I know!" She said, "I've seen it with my own eyes! You are really great." Her eyes softened when she looked at him. "You are nice to Motoki, and Rei, and even Natsumi. And baby Manami and -" Usagi looked down, kicking the dirt with one toe of her white tennis shoe. "You are a really good guy. Even if you did call me 'odango atama' and tease me all the time."

He sat down next to her. "What can I say, you made me do strange things." He put an arm around her shoulders, drew her close to him. "Like black out and wake up in the middle of a battle, in a tuxedo, attempting to distract some giant monster long enough for you to blast it."

She giggled. Mamoru smiled at the sound. "Or search tirelessly for some magical crystal I knew nothing about," he continued.

Usagi sighed, putting her hands up to her chest in a perfect impression of Princess Serenity, whether she realized it or not, "Although you kept trying to take the rainbow crystals _from_ me."

"Well, what can I say, being reincarnated royalty is not an exact science."

She was giggling again, burying her face in his shoulder. "Oh, god, _tell me about it._"

He put his chin on her head, just relishing the closeness they had, how comfortable he felt.

"I was nice to everyone but you. Because you, Tsukino Usagi, would just drive me crazy," he said, half to himself.

Images of Haruna-sensei, Luna, and Rei flashed through Usagi's mind. "I seem to have that effect on people," she muttered, looking up at him with an apologetic glint in her blue eyes. He put a hand to her face, brushing blonde wisps of hair back from her face. Usagi stared with wide-open eyes.

"I don't mind your effect on me," he murmured. He kissed her forehead, and she shut her eyes. Her heart was pounding her chest so hard she was afraid it would burst right out of her. Couldn't he hear it?

She opened her eyes and turned toward him, parting her lips to speak. But no words came. He gently brushed her lips with his, meaning to pull away - to keep it innocent. But Usagi linked her hands behind his head and pressed her mouth to his eagerly. She was not one to do anything like this halfheartedly.

He gave in completely, melting into her and how she was _so_ sweet, and _so_ warm, and _so _real - how he wanted so very much to be steady and cool and in control, but with her he was always spiraling into some sort of madness where he was very much not himself. Or maybe the closest he ever got to his true self.

When he pulled away, they were both blushing. "I've wanted to do that for a _really_ long time," Usagi confessed, with a smile that just took his breath away. "Longer than I'd ever want to admit."

"I know," he said, with that arrogant smile she always loved to hate. He twirled a strand of blonde hair through his fingers, thinking that it _was_ just as silky as he always thought it would be. She leaned in for another kiss and he gladly obliged, dropping his hands to her shoulders.

There wasn't much spoken for a while. As it turns out, in precious few things, Usagi actually had a very impressive amount of focus.

* * *

><p>It was finally the setting sun in her eyes that startled Usagi into jumping up and crying out. "Oh my god! I was supposed to be home half an hour ago!" She grabbed her bag. "I bet my parents think I'm dead in a ditch!"<p>

Mamoru just looked at her, mystified.

"You know how many times in my life I've been late for a meal?" she joked, "I gotta get home before they send the police after me." She twirled around one last time and planted a quick kiss on Mamoru's cheek, just like at the Crown the day before. "I'll see you!"

"Bye," he managed to choke out to her disappearing form and the growing shadows of the evening.


	5. Thursday

This one runs a little short, but I think it works.

For some reason Minako takes up half the story. Because I freaking love Minako. Deal with it. /sunglasses.

* * *

><p><strong>Thursday<strong>

"Hi, there. What's new today?" Minako said, poking Usagi in the arm. The smaller girl was engrossed in the Sailor V game and had no time for conversation right now.

"Kinda busy," Usagi mumbled, just as a pixelated sailor-suited figure on screen fell to a sad electronic decrescendo**. **"Darn it, Minako! You killed me."

"One could say that _you_ just killed _me_."

They looked at each other with identical quizzical expressions.

"Wanna play the racing game?" Minako asked.

"It's a weekday," Usagi said suspiciously, "aren't you going to tell me to go home and go my homework or something?"

Minako snorted, "Do I _look_ like Ami-chan, Artemis, Luna, or your mom?"

Anyway, it seemed like Motoki wasn't even _working_ today so Minako had nothing else to do.

After four rounds in the racing game, they were an even two-for-two.

During the fifth go, at a rather tricky turn, a shadow fell over the screen.

"Wow, you are both really good at that game," a friendly male voice said.

Minako perked up and turned around with a start. "Motoki!" she cried. "Hi!" On screen, her little car careened off the road and exploded in a burst of flames.

"YES!" Usagi cried as her little car skidded cleanly across the finish line. She pumped her fist in the air.

"Oh, that was _obviously_ outside interference," Minako countered.

"Best outta five: I won the bet, you have to buy me a milkshake!"

Minako crossed her arms.

"You were the one who wanted to make it _'interesting_' in the first place." Usagi pointed out.

"But that wasn't a fair win!"

Both girls looked at Motoki.

He sweatdropped and put an arm behind his head. "Uh, I don't think I can make that call. Being directly involved and all." He looked behind him, "Mamoru? Care to decide this?"

Minako and Usagi peered out from the car-shaped arcade game and could finally see the man who had been standing by the door the entire time. Minako looked unsure of Mamoru's ability to be objective in the matter.

"I think _you_ owe both these ladies milkshakes, Motoki," Mamoru said.

"Wha-"

"After all, you work in an arcade, you should know better than to distract a player during a game. You threw the game, you have to pay up."

"Sounds fair to me!" Minako was up and out of the fake car in the second, walking in step with Motoki to the counter to claim her prize.

Usagi clamored out of the car much less gracefully. "I still say it was being distracted at the wheel," she countered, under her breath. Her face was flush and hair prickly with static.

"Hey, you still get a milkshake out of the deal," Mamoru said, forcing his voice to stay even. His mind went right to the last time he saw her - and her warm, persistent lips on his. He hoped he didn't blush.

She smiled up at him. "Yeah. Hey, I'm glad I got to see you today!" He envied her openness, how she was so easily affectionate with him, without a hint of shyness.

"Me, too. But you should go home and do some homework soon, don't you think?" his voice was kind but he was looking at her seriously.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get my milkshake to go," she muttered. Usagi knew she'd have to get used to this side of him - Minako could have easily added his name to her list earlier. But she also knew it was only because he cared about her that he brought it up.

Mamoru knew that could have come out better - his mind was still a few steps behind his mouth - but it was true that he didn't want to monopolize her time. He didn't want her relationship with him to ever be a negative thing in her life.

* * *

><p>Usagi was holding her milkshake in one hand and Mamoru's hand in the other as she walked along the street in perfect contentment. Her one condition to quitting the arcade earlier than she wanted was that he walk her home.<p>

Motoki blinked when Mamoru left so soon after walking with him to work, but he didn't press it. Motoki practically made minding his own business into an art form. He was there if you needed him, but otherwise he wouldn't pry into anything. None of their mutual friends could figure if Motoki was the most considerate person in the world, or the most oblivious.

Usagi chatted and Mamoru listened. It was still mid-afternoon and the streets were youthful, full of students and young parents. Then she lead him down the side streets that lead to her neighborhood, and the other pedestrians thinned out.

He watched her wave at a shopkeeper who was out sweeping the sidewalk, seek out a specific convenience store trashcan for her now-empty milkshake cup, turn the corner with practiced familiarity.

"You've lived here a long time, haven't you?" he asked.

"Born and raised," she answered. Usagi looked at him for a second before asking, "What about you?"

"I came to Juuban for high school," Mamoru answered, "but before that I was still in Tokyo city."

Usagi nodded, squeezed his hand and didn't ask anything further. But she did look up at him with a clear, unguarded gaze and say, "I'm glad you came to Juuban, Mamoru."

"Me too, Usako."

She froze, mouth a little open, shifted amazed eyes up to him. "What did you call me?"

"Well, you said you don't like odango atama, but I wanted to have something special to call you," he pulled her hand along, a little flustered at her reaction.

"Did you just _come up_ with that?" Usagi was still amazed, "It's so_ sweet_." She had never heard of a nickname like that before. It sounded like a whole new name. It made her stomach flutter.

"It suits you," he said, shrugging a little.

"Well, if you call me 'Usako' I should call you..." she considered for a moment, "Mamo-chan."

He stopped.

"_Seriously_?"

"It suits you," she stepped up on the curb next to him, bringing her closer to his level, and met his gaze in a challenge.

"Really."

Usagi nodded, and because there was no one else around, she felt brave enough take advantage of her new temporary height and press her lips to his.

And he decided she could call him whatever she wanted.

* * *

><p>Stealin' lines straight from the manga. Oh yeah.<p> 


	6. Friday

**AN.** So I've spent the last few days in a manga-induced haze of happiness and glee. I got Sailor V and Sailor Moon volumes 1 in the mail and omg. I've forgotten how much I love the Sailor Moon manga. The reprints are so beautiful, and the translations are so well-done.

And Sailor V is too cute. I'm glad I get my Minako fix because she's not in Vol 1 of Sailor Moon yet.

SO HAPPY YOU GUIZE. BUY YOUR MANGA.

* * *

><p><strong>Friday<strong>

"Try to hit every red light," Usagi was saying, peering out the window of Mamoru's car and wishing that everyone she ever knew would suddenly appear on the sidewalks of Juuban to see her. (Excepting, of course, immediate family members and anyone who would talk to immediate family members).

"There are only two lights between here and your house, Usako," Mamoru was saying, from the driver's seat next to her.

It's true that she was almost home from school, crossing one of the last main crosswalks with Makoto, when a car at the light honked. At first she was furious, screaming about how, hey, she was _walking here_ and she had _right-of-way and didn't he see the light was RED!_ until Makoto managed to choke out the identity of the driver through her laughter.

Mamoru offered them both rides home, but Makoto declined politely, even as Usagi jumped into the passenger seat and was buckling her seatbelt before Mamoru had even finished his sentence.

Usagi couldn't believe her luck to have run into Mamoru every single day since Tuesday. It really was fate, she decided. Come to think of it, hardly a few days passed since their very first encounter on the streets of Juuban when they _didn't_ cross paths in their civilian forms.

It made sense Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask would come in constant contact. But the universe seemed to delight in gleefully throwing Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba together as well. Too bad it also seemed to take just as much pleasure in ripping them apart again... frowning at the new direction her thoughts were taking her, Usagi distracted herself by reaching out and pushing the buttons on dashboard in a random fashion.

"What do these do?"

Mamoru watched in mild consternation as the clock changed to twenty-four hour time, the hazard lights went on (he turned them off again), the air conditioner and heat both roared on, and radio blasted on.

"Today in Northern Ireland, more conflict-" the voice of public talk radio intoned.

"What's this?"

"A radio station."

Usagi gave him a strange look. "Mamo-chan, radio is _music_." She frowned at the car radio and pressed the second preset button, but it was mostly static.

"That's the college station, it doesn't really come out unless you are close to campus," he explained.

Side-eyeing him, she pressed the third button. More talk.

Fourth. Commercial. "And when this isn't advertising Family Mart, this plays...?"

He sighed. "Not the type of music you like, I bet."

Usagi pursed her lips and turned the dial to her and Minako's favorite station, and an up-beat candy pop song came on. She then turned to him, daring him to say anything. He just smiled. "Go ahead. You can set that up as number five."

Having her own radio preset in his car seemed like an incredibly intimate thing all of a sudden. But...

"Yeah, Mamo-chan, I have no idea how to do that."

He laughed, promising to do it later.

"So, this car is nice," she observed, nodding with an appraising frown.

"Thanks," he said, sounding amused. "It's still pretty new. I bought it the day I turned 18."

"But you need a license-" Usagi paused. "Wait. You passed the test on the first try, didn't you?"

Of course he did. Usagi had no doubt when she took her driving test, she'd fail it who knows how many times before passing. She was pretty sure her father wouldn't even let her behind the wheel even when she turned 18. He'd make her wait until she was 20. Or 35. Or dead. Usagi pouted.

Then another thought occurred to her.

"Hey, are you _rich_ or something?" Usagi demanded. Thinking about it now, she'd been in his apartment and it was pretty nice. Plus the car was pretty flashy. And a private education wasn't cheap, either.

"Well, not anymore since I bought this car."

"Mamo-chan!" She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not.

A smile was dancing just around his lips. "Hey, so you didn't even ask where I was coming from when I was luckily enough to almost run you over on the crosswalk."

Usagi shrugged a little. "Where were you?"

"I went shopping," he reached behind his seat and handed her a brown paper bag, "Here."

Still feeling a little bit like she was being set-up, Usagi reached in the bag and pulled out a pink helmet. "Well, I know I'm clumsy, but this might be overkill," she joked.

He laughed, "It's so you can ride on my motorcycle with me."

Usagi gaped. "You have a motorcycle, too?" By that time, they had reached Usagi's block and Mamoru pulled the car alongside the road and put it in park. Usagi unbuckled her seatbelt but made no move to exit the car.

"You _must_ be rich." Usagi decided. "Or else are you just trying to impress girls."

"I don't know. _Are_ you impressed?"

She flushed despite herself and turned her attention back to the pink helmet. "This is really sweet," she mumbled. "Thanks."

Usagi went to put it on her head, then stopped and rolled her eyes. "It's not gonna fit over the odango."

With two well-practiced flicks of her wrist, the buns were gone and Usagi shook her fingers through her hair. Embarrassed at Mamoru's wide-eyed stare, she quickly placed the helmet on her head. "So?"

He reached over to adjust the straps under the chin, his fingers grazing her ears and her neck as he did so. Usagi willed her eyes up the roof of the car and steadied her breathing. Thoughtfully, Mamoru pulled an impossibly long strand of blonde hair through his fingers. "All this hair is going to be a hazard," he murmured.

"I'll have to pull it back or something," she said, or thought she said. Usagi realized her mind was pretty fuzzy, because he really was _so_ close. Her one consolation was that she seemed to be having a similar effect on him. His hand moved from her hair to her face, unclasping the helmet and it fell from Usagi's head into her lap. Then, he finally kissed her.

Usagi thought perhaps she should be getting used to the way her heart fluttered in her chest and her stomach filled with butterflies and her skin shivered and every little reaction and response when he kissed her. After all, although it'd been less than a week since they'd been together, they'd actually kissed an impressive amount of times, considering. But she wasn't sure she'd ever be used to the way he made her feel.

Aware that the car presented only the illusion of privacy, Mamoru pulled away after a few moments. They shared an easy smile. Usagi marveled that in such a short amount of time they had gone from awkward to so close. It helped that fate kept throwing them together. It helped that Usagi really was the opposite of shy. It helped that they had a past to build on. It helped that they loved each other.

"So, see you tomorrow?" Usagi confirmed, adeptly twining her hair up into it's usual style, using the sun visor mirror to aid her.

"Yes, I'll meet you in the park. We'll do everything you wanted."

She nodded, having finished with her hair. "Thanks for the helmet! One day soon I'll ride on the motorcycle with you - I mean, when I'm feeling brave."

Mamoru laughed again.

Suddenly, Usagi's blue eyes grew wide at a figure she spotted walking down the street, toward the car.

"Well, I should go!" She darted out of the car, handing Mamoru the helmet back through the open door. "You better hang on to this for me. I don't think I could easily explain to my parents what I'm doing with a motorcycle helmet, you know what I mean?"

He smiled and nodded. She blew him a kiss and waved and ran down the street to meet with her little brother, who was coming home from school. They traded insults and elbows as they walked together toward their home.

Mamoru watched for a second in the rearview mirror. He had the strangest feeling as he watched her walk away into the setting sun...

Shaking his head, he put the car into gear and drove off.

He'd meet her tomorrow and it would a lovely, normal day.

* * *

><p>A.N.<p>

And he breaks up with her, like, two days later. Yey. Wait. Not. ha ha. Angst.

Okay, so the next day (Saturday) is actually in the anime (first episode of the R arc) so no need to write it since this is just meant to bridge the gap between the two R arcs. So this fic is officially over!


End file.
